JUST WATCHED

Cantor sets out to improve GOP image

MUST WATCH

Story highlights

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is changing tactics, pushing for a more personal, caring Republican party

Cantor was one of the strongest GOP voices during the fiscal cliff debates

The No. 2 House Republican will unveil his plan in a speech on Tuesday

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is giving the Republican party a message makeover.

In a sharp departure from the GOP's emphasis on slashing federal spending, bringing down the deficit and moving legislation to assist the "job creators," the No. 2 House Republican is rolling out a more personal appeal in a speech on Tuesday with an agenda to "make life work."

Cantor is hoping to put last year's bruising fiscal battles that pit House Republicans against President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats behind and turn the page to a new approach that demonstrates the GOP cares about problems Americans confront in their daily lives.

The speech comes one week before Obama is expected to outline his second term agenda in the State of the Union address.

According to prepared remarks released by Cantor's office on Monday, the majority leader will highlight four main areas - education, health care, job growth, and innovation.

"Our solutions will be based on the conservative principles of self reliance, faith in the individual, trust in the family, and accountability in government," Cantor is expected to say in his speech to the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.

Cantor's tone and the substance of his speech are a departure from previous major speeches he's delivered that centered on helping small businesses expand the economy.

Some of the proposals include items that the GOP-led House has already tackled in legislation in the last Congress, including an immigration bill for so-called "STEM" visas that would allow students born outside the United States who are enrolled in American universities studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to stay after they graduate and get jobs with U.S. companies.

Cantor will point out that the United States should remain a leading force in scientific innovation.

"For this and many other reasons, people across the globe want to become a part of our country. We must never diminish that desire, or worse, become a place that is no longer desirable," he said.

But in a nod to the coming internal fight within Republican ranks about just how far the party is willing to go on immigration, Cantor will also say, "We must balance respect for the rule of law and respect for those waiting to enter this country legally, with care for the people and families, most of whom just want to make a better life, and contribute to America."

A commitment to reforming the nation's schools to help those "most vulnerable" is also a key part of Cantor's message.

House Republicans previously authorized funding for a Washington-based school voucher program championed by House Speaker John Boehner and one Obama sought to eliminate.

In a show of support, Cantor visited a school in the Petworth neighborhood on Monday to discuss his plan to continue supporting the program.